Persepolis (Vincent Paronnaud and Marjane Satrapi, 2007)
The experience of watching this film reminded me of what a “narrative junkie” I tend to be. As a literature lover, despite appreciating the various forms of film, I always seem to succumb to my love for well developed stories. Therefore, through viewing Persepolis, I asked myself the question: Why is it that documentaries and films based on true stories are both undoubtedly grounded in reality, yet I lean towards the latter?
I found that the answer was as simple as my love for a narrative. In Persepolis, Marji Satrapi portrays an intimate perspective on her personal experience in pre and post-revolutionary Iran and the events that accumulated to make her leave her home country behind. This political landscape was tumultuous and full of traumatic events such as the passing of her uncle and grandfather and the overtly sexist ideologies forced upon citizens. A documentary on this subject would definitely make me feel a sense of pain and heartbreak at knowing the terrors that were experienced, however I find that a film imbues the topic with the feeling that the audience is connected deeply to Marji and her journey. This connection allows occurrences throughout the disastrous Iran/Iraq war to resonate as I am given the opportunity to view it through the lens of a small girl who simply desired freedom.
This also reminded me of my experience watching the movie “The Boy In the Striped Pajamas”. With World War II as the backdrop, it centers around an 8 year old boy whose family ends up relocating near a concentration camp due to his father’s position as a commandant. The utilization of World War II as a setting that ultimately leads to a tragic ending for the little boy at the film's conclusion allowed me to feel a different level of investment in the unfolding of events. The power of following a particular perspective has shown its effectiveness time after time, which explains why it happens to exist as such a common formula in Hollywood.
